by ABC-7 Reporter/Anchor Veronique Masterson

EL PASO, Texas -- With the year 2010 on the horizon, the Census Bureau will soon start counting heads in this country. But a proposal floating around Congress could leave millions of people out.

Two senators have proposed an amendment that would require the Census Bureau to ask if people are in the U.S. Illegally. The controversial amendment is headed to the Senate this week.

It's getting mixed reaction from Borderland residents.

Ines Marta, who works at the Del Rey grocery store in Sparks, thinks the proposed amendment is not fair because she says we are all human independent of status.

But not everyone is oppposed.

Francisco Prieto has lived in the Borderland for 11 years. He's a legal resident and says the proposed question wouldn't affect him.

In a news release, Utah Senator Bob Bennett stated, "The system is broken and areas of the country with high illegal populations should not be rewarded with greater representation in Congress."

Census officials told ABC-7 that they are confident the amendment won't pass because it's just too late. It would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to reprint the questionnaires.

For the first time, the 2010 National Latino Congreso, a gathering of national Latino leaders, will have its gathering in El Paso. The meeting will focus on issues involving Latinos.

"It creates a chilling atmosphere for people that are afraid...They will deter people, we think, from answering the census. That's a huge mistake. If the census isn't answered, it hurts all of us," said Antonio Gonzalez of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project.

And a bad census count could also mean less representation in Congress and losing money.

"They're not going to get counted and communities like El Paso and other communities that have large immigration populations are going to lose out on federal funding," said County Attorney Jose Rodriguez.

A spokeswoman for the Census Office says if the amendment is approved and the question is asked, the information could be kept confidential from other government entities.

The Census Bureau is spending $300 million to make sure immigrants understand and return the questionnaires. The Bureau is sending out postcards in five different languages, including Spanish.